(a)  Every person who maliciously or without authorization removes an American Flag in the vicinity of a veteran’s grave or from a flag staff in a cemetery shall be imprisoned not exceeding sixty (60) days or fined not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100).

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 11-20-3

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  Every person who shall, without right, remove from any grave a marker that was authorized to be placed by the cemetery to designate that the grave was the grave of a deceased veteran shall be imprisoned not exceeding one hundred and twenty (120) days or fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) for a first offense, and shall be imprisoned not exceeding one hundred and twenty (120) days or fined not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000) for a second offense.

(c)  Every person, firm, partnership or corporation who shall purchase, sell or destroy any veteran’s grave marker shall be subject to the same penalties provided in subsection (b) of this section.

History of Section.
G.L. 1896, ch. 279, § 46; G.L. 1909, ch. 345, § 49; G.L. 1923, ch. 397, § 49; G.L. 1938, ch. 608, § 49; G.L. 1956, § 11-20-3; P.L. 1982, ch. 219, § 1; P.L. 1990, ch. 490, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 66, § 1; P.L. 2000, ch. 109, § 6.